What's On Scotland 17-24 Oct: Scottish International Storytelling Festival & more

The Scottish International Storytelling Festival kicks off this week in Edinburgh. Elsewhere, a new show opens at Fruitmarket and Queer East Film Festival comes to town

Feature by Anahit Behrooz | 17 Oct 2024
  • Janis Mackay and Nada Shawa for Mending Nets at SISF

Gather round the fire, children, for two whole weeks of storytelling from the Scottish International Storytelling Festival (fire may or may not (probably not) be included). Running from 18-31 October, largely at the Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh but with satellite events across the whole of Scotland, this year's programme revolves around the theme of "Bridges Between" to mark the 35th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, exploring how storytelling and art can build connections across cultures and generations.

Including performances from the likes of Niall Moorjani, Nada Shawa and Mairi Campbell, you can browse the full programme here and find tickets for individual shows, or buy a festival pass.

ADVERTISEMENT | Now You See Us at the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival
CCA: Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow. 25-26 Oct
Immerse yourself in this impactful and inclusive two-day showcase of theatre, artist commissions, creative workshops, film screenings, vital discussions and more, all responding to the festival’s theme, In/Visible. Exciting new work that creatively explores what it means to be ‘visible’ or ‘invisible’ when we think about our mental health will be presented by artists including musician and poet Simone Seales, actor and writer Sanjay Lago, storyteller Jane Mather and playwright Jen McGregor.

Holly Davey: The Unforgetting
Fruitmarket, Edinburgh. 19 Oct-17 Oct
As part of Fruitmarket's 50th anniversary celebrations, the gallery has commissioned artist Holly Davey to respond to each of the 354 women artists who have shown at Fruitmarket since its opening with a series of beautiful sculptures that articulate the archive. Image: Holly Davey.

Re:INCARNATION
Festival Theatre, Edinburgh. 18-19 Oct, 7:30pm
Acclaimed dance company QDance Company touch down in Scotland from Nigeria, bringing an extraordinary choreographic work that fuses together dance, music, fashion and visual art to create a stunning ode to Yoruba culture. Image: Tristram Kenton.


Astrid Sonne
Sneaky Pete's, Edinburgh. 19 Oct, 7pm
Denmark-born, London-based composer and viola player Astrid Sonne blends together acoustic and electronic experimentations to explore the way music can create mood pieces and articulate emotional states. For fans of ML Buch, Tirzah and Mica Levi. Image: Courtesy of Sneaky Pete's.

Sit-in #4: Outside the Circle
Cooper Gallery, Dundee. 18 Oct-1 Feb
Part of an ongoing programme of exhibitions moving towards creative emancipation, this fourth iteration is inspired by feminist and queer movements since the early 20th century that have foregrounded intersectional feminist and queer strategies of radical resistance.

ADVERTISEMENT | Last chance to see An Irish Impressionist: Lavery on Location
Royal Scottish Academy building, Edinburgh. 10am-5pm. Tickets £5-£19
It's your last chance to enjoy the sun, with An Irish Impressionist: Lavery on Location at the National Galleries of Scotland! The darker nights may be drawing in, but there’s still time to catch this five-star exhibition. Discover over 90 beautiful paintings by Belfast-born Glasgow Boy, Sir John Lavery. Dip your toes in the sun, sea, and society of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, before it closes on Sunday 27 October!


Queer East Film Festival
Cameo, Edinburgh. 17-21 Oct
Queer East, dedicated to LGBTQ+ cinema from East and South East Asia, is in Edinburgh for a programme of four features and shorts. Some of our favourites include the 50th anniversary screening of Bye Bye Love and uncompromising documentary Love Bound.

modernlove.
St Luke's, Glasgow. 23 Oct, 7pm
Irish indie band head to the capital with their sweet brand of future pop, spinning narratives of what it means to be young and stupid and joyous. Deliriously upbeat and struck through with the tones of summer, this is the perfect way to recapture memories of a warmer time.

H4LW4 x WSHWSH
The Flying Duck, Glasgow. 18 Oct, 11pm
Glasgow nights H4LW4 and WSHWSH are teaming up for a night of no-holds-barred SWANA vibes. There'll be sweet treats (!!), henna (!!!), and late night DJ sets from DIJA, FATMA, Salam Kitty and 222babychai.